Dead End: A Demon's Wish
by Tiger159
Summary: Itanaru. After a demon possessed his mother, Naruto and his father find refugee in a friend from Iruka's past. But things are not what they seem within the Uchiha household and Naruto might be in some serious trouble. Yaoi/Yuri/Violence/Angst/etc.
1. Demons are Among Us

**Dead End: A Demon's Wish**

**Author:** This is about my third time redoing this story, that is why the update date and publish date differ so much. I'm not even sure what this story was originally about but the second time I tried my hand at a song fic and then I realized how much I hate them. So yep, this is my last attempt at writing this story.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the Naruto franchise, including but not limited to the characters. I do not make any profit off this franchise and am only using it for the sole purpose of entertainment. I only know the stories which I write and the characters that I create.

**Author:** Constructive criticism is welcomed not not unjustified flames.

* * *

The week had started out promising. The first day of the new season had begun as a beautiful, clear blue, but soon turned into an inky black color just in a matter of hours. Winter in Konoha were always like this, blistering cold, and most of the time, dark and harsh. People could be seen scattering around the small city as they tried to get home before it got too late. Well for most that was the reason. For others it was to avoid something... but what? That was the question that haunted one blond seventeen year old student. The boy was walking around aimlessly, as he watched people now, roughly pushing each other for no logical reason, muttering about old myths about demons and such. Before he could muster up the courage to question any of the frantic villagers, he heard an all too familiar voice yelling in panic.

"Naruto! Come inside right now!" It was his mother.

"I'm coming ma!" he shouted as he turned and jogged to his rather small home.

As soon as he got inside Ayame locked the door tight, and went back to making dinner for her family.

"Mom, where's dad?" He knew something was wrong as soon as he saw his mother's face. It was covered in worry lines and he knew she was stressed out as of lately. He glanced at him before averting her eyes back to the pot, wiping her aging face with a cloth. Her skin was paler than usual and he wondered if she had aged overnight.

"Iruka should be coming back soon from work baby boy. You know how hard it is to make money these days," Ayame said, covering her mouth as she coughed. And boy did Naruto know the truth that her words held.

Just over a month ago, the government had made a devastating announcement. The Fire country's economy was on the verge of crashing and banks worldwide were declaring bankruptcy. All this because of an idiotic war between what started off with just between the capitol Konoha and Sound. And with no money meant no food of any kind and his father, Iruka, had decided go job hunting in neighboring towns and even in neighboring countries, anywhere where he heard that had good paying jobs. Naruto didn't know where they got the money from exactly, but he could care less if it got the food on the table.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and Naruto ran to open it. As soon as he undid the locks and swung the door open, he was met with a tried looking scarred tan face, and a bright yet equally tired smile.

"Dad!" He yelled as he hugged him tightly, with the strength of a child afraid of losing his father. And in a way, he was fearful, because bombs were being dropped and homes were being raided. But worse, families were being torn and people were being killed by heartless bastards.

"Hey lil' fox, guess what?" Iruka asked as his face brightened and his tender brown eyes became wider with happiness.

"What?" Ayame asked her husband, her pale lips forming into a small smile.

"We're moving to some place where we could live in peace. I contacted an old friend of mine a few days ago, and he just confirmed that we can stay in his house." Naruto beamed at his father, as he bounced up and down. But then he stopped and looked at him.

"To where?" Iruka knew the question was coming. But he sure wasn't telling him the answer just yet.

"That's a surprise kid. And Ayame, sweet heart, my friend said that he found a great doctor that will help you get better." Ayame's smile faded, but Iruka had turned his attention back to his son and missed the sadness that overtook her face.

"Thank you honey, that was really thoughtful of you," she said. She had turned her face back to the pot, stirring it's contents as she contemplated her situation. She has accepted the fact that she was to die, but her husband had yet to come to the same level of acceptance. Iruka still held hope for her slim chance of survival and though that thought brought a smile to bloom on her tired face, the sadness lurked back in when she thought of Naruto and Iruka, standing over her grave after she was gone. She stirred harder, even if there was no need. Iruka and Naruto set the table as Ayame finished up the stew.

They sat at the maple wood table, where they silently ate their dinner, and then headed off to bed.

It was still night when Naruto awoke, a knock at the door disturbing him. He yawned loudly, briefly looking out the window. It was snowing, the streets and buildings covered in white fluff. He had shivered when he felt a gust of wind caress his flesh from the open window and he scampered to shut the window. He quickly got off his twin size bed, his bare feet meeting the cold tiles of the floor and slamming the window shut with a struggle. He manged to shut it, using more force than needed and fearing that he had cracked it. They couldn't afford to fix it if the window was damaged in any form.

It wasn't his fault, there had been ice on the frame and he had needed to use more force than usual to shut it. Yep, that was the story he was going to tell his father when he asked if it was in fact cracked. There was knowing on the door again and he had turned his head towards it with a frown. Before he reached it, the door knob had turned slowly, and the door was opened. He tensed, becoming alert as he watched the door open at an unusual slow pace. However, when he noted the soft smile of his mother's, he became relaxed, even if he felt as if something was off.

Ayame was smile was grim and Naruto was at a loss of words as they stared at each other. He had walked back to his bed and was watching Ayame as she shut the door behind her. She looked eerily different, even if he saw her a mere hours ago at the table, eating stew and hot bread with him. He was doing a good job at keeping his face calm, even if all he wanted to do was fall flat on his face, question her and run towards his father. This couldn't be Ayame, his mother.

His mother had looked as if she had aged over twenty years since the last time his azure eyes lad seen her. She had deep set worry lines, sagging skin and skin as pale as the snow covering the streets. But the most shocking feature was her eyes. Her eyes weren't the same warm loving brown that he was greeted with, but a muddy brown that lacked the brightness Ayame had fought so hard to keep in her eyes. She was wearing her satin pink night gown with the lace trim at the top and bottom of the gown.

It was like she was already dead and what was left of her was nothing but a shell of the original.

"Hey mom," Naruto had greeted after a moment of silence. Ayame continued to stare at him, with the same strange smile plastered on her face.

She approached him, crawling onto his bed and sitting on the quilt. She patted a spot beside her and Naruto sat up, slowly taking his sit next to her.

"Naruto, my son. My wonderful, wonderful son. You have grown so much over the last few years. I remember when I first saw you on the playground all alone." Ayame smiled as she continued her tale, her voice soft and Naruto struggled to catch every word she said. He was looking around him, eyes landing on the locked door and he wondered if he could run to his father, who he hoped was in the house. Actually on second thought, he hoped Iruka was out of the house.

"When you first looked at me with your big ocean blue eyes, I could see they were full of pain, but you just kept on smiling. You could have easily fooled anyone with that smile of yours but it didn't fool me." Now she sounded proud, but the smile that bloomed on her face did not bring back the shine in her brown orbs. Naruto paused his plotting and looked at her, the smile on her face fading ever so slowly. He looked back at the door and he wondered how long it would take before he reached the front door with Ayame or whatever was pretending to be his mother had caught on. Ayame didn't act like this, at least she would have been pausing several times in her tale to cough and might not have been able to finish it, because at one point she would start coughing up blood and excuse herself.

"As the days passed, I went to visit you every single day at the orphanage and when I saw how badly you were being treated... that's when I finally made up my mind. I went home, discussed it with Iruka and we decided to take you in as our son." Ayame looked at Naruto with sad eyes.

"I'm sick Naruto and I don't think I'll make it," she whispered, her voice strained and for a moment, Naruto believed this women to be his mother. He stared at her, eyes on the verge of filling with tears.

"Don't say that mama. Of course you're going to make it." Naruto's voice was low and filled with hurt. He couldn't lose his mother, not yet, he was barely out of his teens. He tensed when the softness that had briefly shown in his mother's eyes faded and was replaced with the same emptiness as before.

"I love you Naruto," she had whispered in the strained voice as before. When Ayame next spoke, her voice was hoarse and Naruto resisted the urge to cry. It felt as if something inside of him had just been ripped out of him. He felt as if his mother was really gone, as if those words were her last goodbye.

His body started shaking, but he tensed as soon as he felt her arms encircle him. They were frail, cold and nothing like the warmth of his mother's embrace. He knew that she was just a shell of his beautiful mother. He knew that his mother's soul was gone and was replaced by a demon; a demon who wanted nothing but to tear his fragile family apart. It was common in his village, for souls to be weakened, then stolen by monsters lurking in the dark. Not many believed that it was the monsters who made them ill to the point of death, but it didn't mean it didn't happen.

But he still laid there and forced his body to relax in the demon's embrace. When he rested his head on its chest, he could hear a heartbeat. But it wasn't soothing like his mother's heart. This heart beat sounded like breaking glass. The demon started whispering comforting words, but they did nothing to help him, because he knew they were hollow.

They both knew that.

That was all Naruto could take as he teared his body away from the demon and ran all the way downstairs and into his parents room. Naruto was right to assume that his father was out, running an errand in the next town in order to prepare for tomorrow's trip. It was terrifying, knowing that he was completely alone and seeing no escape. He might not even make it out of here alive. Naruto gulped as he slammed the door shut, locking it and keeping his hands against the door frame for extra support.

He could hear the heavy footsteps making they way down the stairs as the demon approached the door.

Pounding followed the silence when the footsteps had ceased.

"Open the door you wretched child! I want to eat your soul!" The voice was loud, booming and angry, nothing like Ayame's voice or like his father's voice. In fact, the voice was harsher than Iruka ever was, even when he was scolding Naruto. This voice was hateful and desperate and Naruto snarled, holding his tongue as he resisted the urge to curse at the demon for taking his mother away. A few tears did manage to make their way down his cheeks and he snarled louder. He was devastated because he lost his mother, because he couldn't save her.

"Yes, cry some more child, I can smell your sadness and I'm sure that will only make you taste more delicious." On the other side of the door the demon was fuming, growing impatient as he pounded harder against the metal of the door. He could partially taste the flesh of the boy and he couldn't wait to indulge in the brat's blood and most of all, his soul that reeked of sadness and anger. Those were the best souls to eat and he needed to feast on the boy's soul. The door would not budge, for the body he had inhabited was weak from illness and had been on the edge of death so he began to formulate a plan. He combed through his victim's memories, and smirked. So the brat had a father? Oh how nice, that would work out nicely for him. Humans were foolish after all, and would do anything to protect those they cared deeply about.

"Open this door right now, or else when your father gets here, I will kill him and force you to watch as I do so." The demon stopped talking as he waited for the boy to do as he was told. He had waited far too long to weaken the boy's mother to have to go after another meal. He had already consumed the woman's spirit and now he was hungry again. He needed something healthy to fed on in order to get his strength on.

The blond let out a shaky sigh, staring at the lock in horror as he slowly unlocked them. He was about to turn the door knob when he heard the doorbell. His heart sank and he gulped, fear taking a grip of him ad causing him to run on impulse. He knew who it was. He knew it was Iruka, his father, his only remaining link to sanity. Damn it, the man had the worse timing in the world.

With no time to waste, he shoved the door open, causing it to slam against the demon's noise. Naruto rushed to the entrance, pulling the door open and slamming it shut. He had tugged on a startled Iruka sleeve, pulling him in the direction of the car.

"Hurry, hurry!" He kept yelling as his eyes kept moving back to the closed door of the house.

"Drive, now!"

"But Ayame-"

"Just drive! She's dead damn it!" The news only caused Iruka to freeze and Naruto saw the door of their home opening, revealing an angry face. With a start, he turned the car on, put it into drive and stepped on the accelerator as hard as he could. Noticing this, Iruka took hold of the wheel, his eyes wide in panic as he avoided a tree.

"Naruto, what the hell?" Iruka rarely cursed but Naruto was too out of breath to tease his father. Seeing the fear still lingering in Naruto's gaze, which was still glued to their home as it faded into the blanket of darkness, Iruka became concerned.

"Naruto, what's the matter?" Iruka asked concerned. After about ten minutes of driving on a bumpy road and tense silence, Iruka had to ask, "What happened?"

"Mom... mom's gone dad. The demon, he took her body and he tried to kill me. He tried to kill you," was all Naruto said, his voice breaking off as he fought back tears. Naruto looked as if he was going to fall apart at any moment and Iruka sighed, trying to keep his eyes on the road.

"Naruto, as soon as we get to our destination, tell me everything that happened alright?"

"Al...alright." Naruto laid his head on the window as he tried to sleep the shock off. But all he could dream of were corpses and demon claws, a reminder of what he had just lost. Of what _they_ had lost and would never, ever get back.

A tear slipped down his cheek.

* * *

For those confused, when Ayame is in Naruto's room, she is struggling with the demon that is trying to overtake her body. When she says "I love you Naruto," that was her losing the battle and dying.


	2. The Uchiha Mansion

**Dead End **AKA **A Demon's Wish**

******Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the Naruto franchise, including but not limited to the characters. I do not make any profit off this franchise and am only using it for the sole purpose of entertainment. I only know the stories which I write and the characters that I create.

_WARNINGS:_ Yuri (female slash), Yaoi (male slash), violence, death, war, etc.

* * *

The inky black night was silent, dull, and uneventful. For that Iruka was grateful. He vaguely remembered seeing his wife's face, resembling that of a perverse corpse. Before he had left the safety of his home, he had noticed the hollow yet evil eyes gazing into his own, and the sharp canine teeth behind the chapped lips that he had last kissed on the night of their wedding wedding universality He had hesitated leaving Naruto, still slumbering in his bed, but brushed it off as an illusion of his tired mind. Iruka saw the look of pure hate on his wife's aged face, barely concealed by a sweet smile. The widowed man sighed as he felt a couple of tears make their way down his tan, scarred face. _'She was only twenty-two, yet she died so young, her dreams stolen out of her grasp.' _Iruka remembered the first time that he learned about the disease that was slowly killing his lovely wife. She had shortly gotten it during their arranged marriage.

**FLASHBACK:**

_It was Spring and the flowers were just beginning to bloom. The sun seemed to be smiling down on the village people of Konoha, a welcomed difference from the harsh winters and long agonizing nights. The crops were growing at a fast rate, compared to the slow rates of previous seasons. It was a welcoming difference and the season hinted at promises of success and happiness. _

_Iruka was in the shed, working on a client's busted down car that needed more than just a tune up when he heard the crash from the kitchen. He had jumped at the loud sound, taking a rag to clean his oiled covered fingers as he ran down the hallway. The wrench in his hand was disposed off, falling to the ground in his haste, the sound it made when it clattered to the floor not even registering in Iruka's mind. __As he drew closer to the closed kitchen door, he heard coughing sounds that caused him to worry before panic took over. It didn't sound like coughing at all, it sounded like someone was...someone was chocking! Springing into action, Iruka flung the door open, only for his eyes to land on a fallen Ayame, her lips stained red and coughing into a bloodied fist._

_"He...l..p...me" Ayame went into another fit of coughing, eyes frantically moving as she struggled to breathe. Iruka wasted no time complying to his wife's begging as he picked up her up bridal style and ran to the car. He gently sat her down in the car and drove off to the hospital. _

_It had taken him twenty minutes to drive to the emergency room, another five minutes to get the doctors to attend to her, and forty minutes since he last seen his wife. He had been pacing up and down the hallway, a nurse coming up to him for the third time to inform him that he was unnerving the other patients and he needed to stop. _

_Finally, a tired doctor emerged from Ayame's room and told him the news._

_"Mr. Umino, your wife Ayame is very ill. She has contracted Tuberculosis which is a bacteria that usually attacks the lungs but can also attack the kidney, spine and brain. In this case it is the brain. Originally your wife had developed TB infection which is not fatal but since it was never treated, it developed into a full blown disease. We would be able to treat it with drugs but there are more complications."_

_"Complications?" Iruka questioned, his eyes watering._

_"I think you might want to sit down Mr. Umino." _

**END FLASHBACK**

Before he even knew it, his car had run out of gas. He cursed under his breath, how come the car always broke down when he needed it to work? But luckily for him, he had already made it in front of Kakashi's work place. Well, he really hoped he had the directions incorrect after his eyes landed on the building. Iruka's expression morphed to one of shock as he looked up at the gloomy looking mansion bathed in darkness and shadows.

The five story mansion was made out of black bricks and covered in Gothic statues, giving it a menacing feel that made Iruka shudder in his seat. It had wide tinted windows, black wooded double doors, a cement walk through, and the landscape was made up of rare flowers and an overwhelming amount of black, red, and lavender roses. The mansion was located out of town; five miles at the least as far as Iruka knew and an additional twenty miles from his home, and looked terrifying to him. He gulped, noticing the black gates with twisted points at the top that surrounded the place, and the vines that covered them. It almost looked like something from a horror movie.

Iruka sighed as he got out of the car and went to lift Naruto up from the other side.

"Naruto wake up," he said in a soft tired voice as he shook Naruto awake.

"Daddy?" came the whispered response.

"Naruto, get up...we're here."

Naruto groaned, but got out of the car anyway, even if his legs felt like jelly, and his head felt like it had been stomped on non-stop. His father went to the back of the car to get their luggage out. He struggled to carry all the bags from the trunk, all three of them. The large one belonged to him while the two medium sized bags belonged to his tired son. There were two additional bags in the trunk, but they had belonged to his wife. Iruka's mood seemed to damper at the sight of them. He really did miss Ayame, even if they had stopped loving each other as husband and wife a long time ago.

Both males walked toward the gates of the mansion, hesitate movements revealing their fear of the unknown place. Next to the old looking gates was an intercom box, that was made out of clear metal with small gaps which hid a speaker. There was also a red button in the bottom center of the intercom box, which Iruka pressed after a brief pause. He was slightly surprised to hear a silky voice coming out of the speaker.

"Who is it?" asked a masculine voice that sent slight shivers up Iruka's spine. He frowned, gnawing at his lip, knowing that he had heard that voice somewhere before.

"My name is Umino, Iruka, and my son Uzumaki, Naruto and I are here to see Hatake, Kakashi," answered Iruka nervously. For some odd reason he felt sick all of a sudden, his stomach doing flips and churning as he thought back to his wife and how she was suppose to be here with him.

"I'll be right out, please hold on," was all the voice said before a figure emerged from the double doors of the mansion.

At first Iruka's eyes couldn't make out much except the silhouette of a large and tall figure. When he came closer was when Iruka had realized who the man was. Dressed in a black turtle neck, black slacks and his signature wild silver hair was Kakashi. Iruka's jaw opened and closed, words dying on the tip of his tongue, swallowed up by the nervousness that arose at the sight of his long time friend,

"Hello Iruka," greeted the man. His voice was husky; the same voice from the man in the intercom.

"Hey..." Iruka answered, a light frown marring his scarred face. "How long has it been since we last seen each other?"

Kakashi had shrugged, taking out an orange book that made Iruka smile. It was nice to see the man again, even if he was still the same perverted bastard from college.

"A while." The light from the moon brought Iruka's attention to the ring on Kakashi's right index finger, which caused his smile to widen.

"I see you're still wearing my gift." Kakashi briefly looked up from the book, bringing his right hand to his line of vision. On his index finger was a ring on a silver band with a picture of a scarecrow in the center.

"I suppose." The tan man's smile softened and averted his eyes to his silent son. Naruto was yawning, stretching his arms above his head. He wasn't paying attention to his father's conversation and looked surprised when his eyes landed on Kakashi.

"Who's that?" Iruka glared and Naruto laughed nervously.

"I mean, hello, my name's Uzumaki, Naruto, nice to meet you." The blond held out his hand, which Kakashi shook.

"Kakashi."

"Oh so you're the guy that mom-" Iruka's glare caused him to swallow his words. Kakashi rose an eyebrow but didn't comment. Instead, he led them through the open gates.

They walked through darkly lit hallways, which Kakashi explained was due to a power outage that caused the staff to resort to torches and kerosene lamps. Kakashi took them to the second floor, passing various doors and promising to give them a tour the next day.

"You two must be tired. For the night you guys can spend the night in these rooms and we'll discuss your living arrangements come tomorrow."

-(1)-

Morning arrived a little too soon the next day. The figure on the bed could tell you that. The blond had woken with a groan as the sun's rays hit his face; the light leaking into the cracks of his eyelids and into his eyes. He slowly rubbed his eyelids with the back of his tan hands while yawning loudly, stretching his body in the process.

"Where am I?" he asked, his voice as soft as feathers as he observed the unfamiliar room. Last night's events eluding his mind. His azure eyes scanned the room from top to bottom, not even missing one detail.

With a still foggy mind, he noticed that he was on a four poster bed with red sheets that were soft to the touch. Surrounding the bed were red wooden panels that covered the walls and on either side of the bed were black side tables with red based lamps. When he got off the bed, he couldn't help shivering as soon as his warm feet connected with the cold black marble of the floor. He walked pass the red curtains, a match to the sheets on the bed that didn't belong to him or his father.

He considered going to the windows, all four of them with black frames, and draw the long drapes shut to shun out the light. Naruto didn't know what time in the day it was and he didn't really care. All he knew was that it was too damn bright. He barely spared a glance at a wooden black dresser with black handles hiding in the corner or at the empty fireplace that looked out of place in the room. For a moment, Naruto was tempted to lay back in the bed and pretend it belonged to him.

He was tempted to sleep til night time and pretend he knew where he was and that all was right in the world and his mother was still alive. Pretend that the war never happened and that he had school and friends that he could trust. But none of that was true, and was the only thing that made him want to crawl and bury himself deep into the sheets and cry into the cotton pillows. However, it was also the very thing that kept him from doing so.

He had to face reality, one day at a time. It wouldn't be easy, but no one ever said it was going to be easy, to stay strong or to be strong enough to let himself fall apart.

With a sigh, the blond walked over to the dresser and observed his figure. His sun kissed hair was still as wild and untamed as usual and he knew that even if he found a comb or brush, that his hair refused to be controlled. His skin was still golden with small pale scars scattered around his skin accompanied by faded burn marks, caused by things he rather forget. Naruto ran a finger over the scars on his face. He didn't know if it was just him, but he thought that the whisker like scars on his face always seemed to darken in the mornings. Yet, oddly enough, they seemed to thin out come afternoon, something he found rather strange. His feet were bare and his fingers were still half asleep, causing them to have an annoying tingling sensation that he wished would go away soon.

When he noticed that he was still wearing the clothes from the past day, he suddenly felt dirty, memories rushing back to him in snippets. He recalled the face of his mother, her soft words and the realization that she was gone. He remembered the sound of breaking glass instead of the heartbeat of a human and realizing that he was in the arms of a demon. He sneered, ripping the shirt off his body, stomping on it and resisting the urge to scream and cry.

It wasn't fair. His mother wasn't suppose to die, not again. He wasn't suppose to lose another parent. They were suppose to live together, just the three of them: Ayame, Iruka and him in their small home. But now winter was looming, his mother was gone, ripped from his grasp and the aftermath of her death made him feel as if he were on the verge of dying.

The white shirt was on the ground, and he breathed deeply as he fixed his eyes on it. Naruto let out a shuddering breath, running a hand through his shaggy locks and nipping at the skin of his lower lip.

He glanced at his bags at the top of the black dresser he had ignored earlier. He approached it, unzipped one of the bags and took out another tee shirt. He looked around the room once again, after slipping on the piece of clothing. His eyes landed on a digital clock that didn't display any numbers and Naruto frown. What was the use of a clock if it didn't show you the damn time?

With a frown still on his face, he approached the cherry wood door, pausing briefly to observe the interesting dragon design craved into it. Shaking his head, he reached for the bronze door knob.

As soon as his fingers touched the door knob, he felt a wave of shock run up his spine. His eyes widened as pain overtook his suddenly alert mind, electricity cousin through him. His eyes rolled back into his head and his body went limp, falling to the ground with a loud sound as if he were a light that had suddenly turned off. Naruto now laid on the floor like a log, motionless and body struggling to breathe. Moments later a figure came into the room, taking a moment to stare at the occupant's still form before lifting Naruto's body and laying him back in bed. Several hours passed before the blond awoke again, this time in pain and with a headache.

Naruto groaned, stretching his arms above his head, wincing at the discomfort it caused him. He craned his neck to search for the clock that he hoped would now be on. Neon green numbers were glaring at him from across the room, a frown once again on his face.

It was one in the afternoon.

"How the-" He didn't even get to finish his question as the door was suddenly opened. At the smell of food, his stomach growled and he resisted the urge to burp, his body's way of letting him know that if it wasn't fed soon, that he would throw up yesterday's meal. His stomach rumbled loudly and finally a man emerged from behind the open door.

"Are you hungry?" The deep voice was the first thing he noted before he saw the dark smirk.

Naruto gulped at the taller male who was staring at him with a tray of food in his hands. The man was pale with dark eyes with red undertones and two lines that went down his cheeks. He was smirking and Naruto had a feeling that the smirk was not a good sign of any kind. The guy had set the food down on the side table, quickly moving the lamp to the side to make room for the food. If it wasn't for the dangerous aura that he sensed, he wouldn't have been as tense as he was nor as scared. The man just kept staring at his tense figure, which made him even _more_ tense.

"Do I scare you?" he asked Naruto. Yes, very much to the point that he wanted the bed to swallow him. The younger male sensed a hint of amusement in the older figure's eyes and he didn't like that at all. Naruto's fear soon gave way to irritation.

"No," he lied, his voice coming out in a short hiss.

"Now who are you?" he asked quickly, eyes frantically searching for an escape route in case things got bad.

"My name is Uchiha, Itachi and I am going to make your stay here a living hell," a cruel smirk had appeared on the male's lips. Naruto gulped, scared for his life.


	3. Deadly Mazes, Sleepless Dazes

**Dead End **AKA **A DEMON'S WISH**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the Naruto franchise, including but not limited to the characters. I do not make any profit off this franchise and am only using it for the sole purpose of entertainment. I only know the stories which I write and the characters that I create.

**Author:** Constructive criticism is welcomed not not unjustified flames.

* * *

The blond continued to stare at Itachi, the irritation still evident in this gaze. Itachi's, or so the man identified himself, face had yet to drop the smirk directed at him. It was getting kind of creepy. Actually, very creepy. _Thank goodness for whoever was knocking on the door,_ Naruto thought as he tore his gaze away from Itachi's.

Itachi had risen from his spot on the bed, taking long and elegant strides towards the door. Naruto frowned, how come everything the bastard did was elegant and borderline creepy? It was as if the man was an alien disguised as a human, or even worse, a demon. He didn't even want to go down that road just yet but now that the seed was planted, he was looking at the strange man in a new light... and not in a good one.

The blond let out a deep breath that he didn't know he was holding when he saw Iruka's nervous smile.

"Greetings," Itachi briefly said before sending Naruto a chilling glare that went unnoticed by the Uzumaki's father. Naruto wished his father was more observant at times, especially times like these. The scarred man simply gave Itachi a soft smile, before walking over to his son.

"Can you leave us for a moment?" asked Iruka, the smile never leaving his face. The eldest Uchiha nodded and quickly walked out the room. Naruto smiled when the man had left and noted that it was now easier to breathe and not have to worry about being killed by a bastard that had a stick up his ass.

"Hi dad," he greeted with a grin, no hint of terror from his previous encounter present. Iruka smiled, but it didn't reach his overworked eyes.

"What happened last night?"

Naruto looked at him with a confused expression, then it clicked. His dying mother, the demon, the move, everything.

"Last...night, when you were gone, mom came into my room. She looked ill... almost _dead, _corpse like with snow white skin and hollow eyes. She...mom sat on my bed and hugged me tightly, talking about my days in the orphanage and how much she loved me. And then-" Naruto suddenly stopped, finding it hard to breathe, his hand slamming against his chest in a futile attempt to clear his throat. His father put his hand on his back, trying to coax him into talking once again. The blond sighed, relaxing under the small circles. Iruka always had the most calming touch.

"Then I heard the heartbeat," Naruto continued with glazed eyes, becoming lost in the memory. A body shifted next to his as Iruka peeled back the sheets in order to sit down. Though he was confused by his son's words, he stayed silent and did his best to keep his son from having a panic attack, something the Uzumaki was prune to since the fire.

"It didn't sound human at all," he whispered, eyes glazed and looking faraway from reality.

"It sounded broken. Like her heart had already shattered into a million pieces and her skin was so pale. Dad, her eyes looked nothing like mom's warm eyes. Her eyes, _its_ eyes were dead and no longer held any shine. She was already gone daddy!" Naruto chocked out, tears running down his face. Iruka hugged his son against his chest, his eyes showing both the worry and sadness he felt. Naruto only dared to call him daddy when he was terrified, reverting back to his child self in times of distress.

"Naruto," his voice seemed to soothe his son.

"I want you to relax and try to eat something. Can you do that for me?" he gently asked him.

Naruto hesitated to nod his head, but when he did so, Iruka pulled him by the arm to the stairway. He watched with soft eyes as his adopted son quickly rubbed away the tears with a tan hand. Naruto always did hate showing weakness in front of others, something he must have gotten from him. Iruka released his grip as Naruto slowly descended down the wooden staircase, Naruto's bare feet landing on the dark wood with a small 'thud,' and the blond hoped that Itachi wasn't able to hear them. He didn't want the newest version of Satan in his life knowing he was out the room. It only took seconds to arrive in the lavish dining room, which Naruto has gasped at, taking his time to take in the glamorous room.

The walls were a warm honey brown, something that he would have never associated with the cruel Itachi. The floor was made out of newly waxed wood, holding everything in place. In the center of the room was an unoccupied black long wooden table that was surrounded by dark stained chairs, and looked as if it could hold a dozen or so people. In the empty center of the table was a metal candelabra Naruto didn't know it was called that, but found them to be pretty either way- with candles that glowed brightly against the darkness of the room. Two more candelabras could be found at the top and end of the long table, all with a different design.

Naruto was led to a seat by his father, the room feeling cold with only them present. Iruka smiled softly at him before taking a seat next to him. The extra body heat warmed Naruto's body and he sat, patiently waiting for the food. Minutes passed and his stomach growled once again in hunger. He couldn't remember if he had eaten last night, having been too distracted fending off a demon to take the time to feed himself.

"Dad," Iruka glanced at him, a small smile on his face. Naruto was staring down at his hands, pushing back the urge to throw a tantrum and scream how it wasn't _fucking _fair but he didn't dare.

"I miss her," he whispered and Iruka wrapped his arms around his son. Naruto chocked on a sob, as he recalled how the demon had wrapped its arms using his mother's body after she had lost the battle. Iruka was rubbing his back again and he had to fight the urge to cry harder. Soon enough he pulled back from the embrace and looked down at his hands once again. They stayed that way, Naruto staring at his fiddling fingers and Iruka wallowing in his own sorrow when they heard a sound from the kitchen followed by muffled colorful words.

Naruto had been the first to react, pushing his seat back before approaching the door of where he presumed it originated from. He was worried as he approached a black door that easily gave way under the force of his hand. The door flung open and revealed a frantic cook picking up pieces of broken plates, and spitting cursed words over spilled food. He sighed in relief before walking over and helping clean up. The chef, or who Naruto presumed to be the chef and looked no older than himself, looked up in alarm.

"What are you doing. You should shoo, I have this handled," the chef said, nodding his head in agreement. Naruto smiled softly at the weird action before he picked up another shard of glass, completely ignoring the other's words. The chef sighed in irritation but said no more on the matter. Once the job was done, Naruto had stolen the mop from the chef's firm grip.

"Let me do it," Naruto insisted with his most charming smile and puppy eye look. The other boy gave in after a few moments, no longer able to stand looking into those blue orbs.

"Fine," he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What's your name?' the blond asked, observing the way the mop cleaned away any messes, his keen eyes on the look out for stray shards.

"Akimichi, Choji, assistant to the head chef. Yours?" The blond smiled directly at him this time, his features soften, making him look like an angel.

"Uzumaki, Naruto."

Choji nodded his head, taking out a pot and ingredients as Naruto mopped. When the Uzumaki had finished, he started to sweep away left over glass.

"Want help?" Naruto asked, putting away the broom and throwing the garbage into the trash can. Choji shook his head, not turning his eyes away from the stove as he turned the flame up. Naruto sighed, figuring out that Choji was a stubborn brute that he had to bug every so often to help loosen up. Having nothing left to do and missing the presence of his father, he bid Choji goodbye.

"If you need me, I'll be in the dining room," he said, not even waiting for the other male to respond. Naruto knew Choji wouldn't come to him for help, the redhead looked perfectly capable of handling himself in the kitchen. He slowly walked out of the kitchen and into an unoccupied chair at the table which had suddenly become _crowded_.

"Naruto, aren't you going to greet the owners?" Iruka gently scowled him. Naruto, in turn, sighed and shifted his eyes towards the others. Next to his dad was Kakashi, the butler and who Naruto recognized as Iruka's friend. The silver headed man did not even bother to look up from an orange book he was reading, yet found the ability to wave in his direction.

Naruto grunted out a "pervert", as he read the title of the book.

Across from him was another boy who seemed to be his age. He had a strange haircut that resembled that of a ducks ass. Naruto mentally laughed at the other boy, easily ignoring the glare directed at him. He noticed that the other boy was dressed in a navy loose top and a pair of white shorts. At the head at the table was another man. Naruto's body seemed to freeze up, unable to tear his eyes away from Itachi. Sensing his gaze, Itachi laid his own cold one on him. Naruto had to bite back a growl as the other man threw him a smirk. Itachi wore a crisp white shirt and black dress pants and all Naruto wanted to do was stain it with the blood of its owner.

"Naruto." Itachi's smooth voice traveled over the table like a violent wave. Naruto glared at him, his name sounded so wrong on that tongue!

"I suspect that you have already met Kakashi but not my younger brother Sasuke," he glanced at the boy. Sasuke or duck haired boy, grunted in annoyance. Naruto rolled his eyes, sinking into his seat. Choji came into the silent dining room a half hour later, a few maids following quickly behind him.

He served Itachi first while the maids served everyone else. The table was now covered by dishes after dishes of rich foods and elegant plates. Bowls of rice, fried shrimp, red beans, soup, chicken, and various meats were displayed before them. Next came the drinks. Wine for the head of the house and the butler. Water for Iruka, who never drank and didn't plan to, and to the younger Uchiha brat. Soda was given to Naruto, who smiled at the maid. She had retreated into the kitchen with dusty pink cheeks.

Naruto laughed softly under his breath and started eating his food. The rest of dinner was silent and uncomfortable. Ignoring the glaring eyes of the other teen, and the watching orbs of the older Uchiha, was more difficult than it looked.

-(2)-

_'I want to get out of here,'_ Naruto thought with a grimace as his foot banged against the wall once again. He hated this place and the people who lived in it.

He breathed in deeply as he struggled to walk through the dark and empty hallway. The hairs on his neck sprung to life as a screeching sound was released. Taking in a large amount of cold air into his lungs, he ran down the narrowing hallways, avoiding statues and loose planks. A few more seconds of running resulted in getting lost in the manor.

"Fuck," he cursed his luck. Why was he born with such a horrid luck? First his mother died and was possessed, he was forced to switch homes, was forced to live with demented male figures, and he was now lost in the manor. Double, triple, -whatever number- Fuck.

He muttered underneath his breath and scanned his surroundings, trying to find something familiar. Which was difficult since he barely had time to associate himself with the manor in the first place. He sighed and looked back at the direction he had come from. He really didn't want to go to his room, and neither did he want another run in with any other person, or thing, he didn't really know what the _screeching thing_ was. All he knew was those haunting eyes scared the crap out of him.

He let out a shaky breath and walked in the opposite direction of where he come from. Away from whatever had chased him. He roamed the halls with silent footsteps and breathed deeply as he reached an open window. He noticed that the window had a balcony connected to it, and connected to the balcony was a ladder. As he forced his body through the large open window with the silver frame, he noticed something else that caused his heart to race. The metal balcony with the hanging ladder was looking towards the back of the house… to the side of a bottomless cliff.

Seriously, what kind of house was located on a fucking cliff? Except for maybe serial killers. He gulped. Were the Uchiha's serial killers just waiting in the shadows to gut them? The blond shook his head, breathed in deeply, sighed and stepped completely onto the balcony.


	4. Sensational Paranoia

**Dead End : ****A Demon's Wish**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the Naruto franchise, including but not limited to the characters. I do not make any profit off this franchise and am only using it for the sole purpose of entertainment. I only know the stories which I write and the characters that I create.

**Author:** Constructive criticism is welcomed not not unjustified flames.

* * *

"Mom died last night," he whispered, eyes gazing at the full moon. Naruto sighed, hugging his knees to his chest. Even though the moon had always had a relaxing effect on him, he was still sad. He continued to stare at the sky, noting that the sky seemed awfully empty, bare of stars and he wondered if the moon ever got lonely with nothing to keep her company.

"Don't you ever feel lonely up there? I know I sure do, even where there are a million people around me. It's tragic really. Feeling like you have no one to turn to when everything around you begins to fall apart." He pulled his knees closer to his chest.

"You must get lonely at this time at night. No one to occupy you, not even another star, and the nearest planet is light years away," he mused.

"Isn't it true that loneliness can drive a person mad? Do you know how lonely I feel now? My mom is dead and daddy is depressed, though he does a good job at not showing it. I know losing mom was devastating for him, even if all they did was argue and worry about their future." He bit his lip.

"Dad is just as good at building masks as I am. I know damn well that he's suffering on the inside, even if on the outside all he does is smile. He isn't talking as much as usual, and his smiles never reach his eyes, something I even struggle with. Maybe he's trying to be strong for me? Maybe he blames me but doesn't want to show it? Damn it, I'm blabbing again." He ran his hands through his hair, letting them tug at his strands in frustration as he fought tears.

"Dad isn't being himself and it's bugging me. He has this horrible laugh that sounds forced and he has this nasty habit of nitpicking at things when he's worried or sad." He bit his lip harder, gnawing at it until it bled.

"I just want him to be happy again..." Naruto whispered lowly, a chocked sob following after. He didn't want to cry. Crying wouldn't bring _her _back or make his father better. It wouldn't take away the pain.

"Mama wouldn't want daddy to suffer, I know that much. I know mom would have wanted dad to move on as soon as he could and not dwell on her passing. Mom was so stubborn and maybe delusional if she thought people got over death so soon." He managed a weak smile.

"I miss her so much. So freaking much that it hurts to even think of her. It hurts to know that I won't wake up to her delicious pancakes or her warm smiles. I feel as if a piece of my heart was sliced out and stomped on and never given back. That's how I felt when I found out she was dead. And I think a part of me will always be empty. I want mom..." He stared at the darkness at the bottom of the cliff.

"I just want to be happy."

His back went rigid as he hissed out "What do you want?"

"I just came to inform you Mr. Uzumaki that you should go back to bed," Kakashi commented from behind. Naruto didn't move from his spot or made any indication that he heard the butler of the Uchiha mansion. He just wished Kakashi would disappear so he could drown himself in his own despair but no, Kakashi stayed rooted to his spot, waiting for a response.

"I will reside to bed when the mood strikes me Mr. Hatake, now please leave me to myself." Kakashi sighed but before leaving he warned that "many strange things tend to happen this late at night." Ignoring the warning, Naruto hugged his knees toward his chest and began to rock himself.

"Auntie," he decided to nickname the moon, who shined down on him with its borrowed light from 'uncle' sun.

"I think I'm losing my mind. Surely I must be going insane, look at what I'm doing right now, talking to an object in the sky." A tear escaped, which he harshly swept away with the back of his palm.

"The days feel as if they're passing slowly and my thoughts are getting darker by the minute," he paused his rambling, feeling something cold brush against his skin. Freezing in slight fear, his eyes widened. Refusing to move, even as the feeling went away, he waited a few more seconds before continuing as if nothing happened.

"I began to see things auntie. Things like ghostly figures, some strange creatures that don't resemble anything on Earth, and not to mention I hear voices. It's only been a day since I've been here and already I hear them. The voices are dark and sinister, telling me to do things and go to certain places, and talk to specific people. And now, sitting here, I feel the need to jump because all I want is to escape my skin and my life. I want to be someone else, even if for just a moment. I must be going utterly and completely insane."

"You got that right," came the low voice from behind. Turning around in alarm, Naruto looked at a shadowy figure in the corner behind the window. He could only make out the outline, but he already knew who it was the outline of his hair. Dismissing the intruder, he turned around, admiring the moon's beauty.

"Sasuke, wasn't it? Do you need something?" The breathless whisper was barely heard by the co-owner of the house, who only snorted.

"This is my home, and I don't need a reason to roam as I please." His voice sounded as if it was getting closer, and before Naruto knew it, Sasuke was sitting next to him.

"Well sorry mister high and mighty," he growled out, his tired eyes glaring at the bottomless pit at the bottom of the cliff. He could feel the glare from the other teen, but chose to ignore it and sat in silence, the moon shinning down on them.

-(1)-

No more dreaming of the dead as if death itself was undone

_**FLORENCE + THE MACHINE** - "Blinding"_

-(1)-

Breakfast was just as worse as last night's dinner, but unlike yesterday, Iruka was not present at the table. Again he could feel the stare from Itachi, who seemed to find amusement in his discomfort. Since the incident with him, Naruto felt awkward and awfully fearful. Gulping down the water, he adverted his eyes away from everyone, wishing for Iruka to magically materialize into the chair next to his. He excused himself from the table in a hurry, quickly dashing up the stairs to his room, carefully locking the door behind him. He threw himself in the bed, wanting nothing more then to sink into the mattress beneath him.

He needed his father, yet he wasn't anywhere to been seen. These were times that he wished his mother was still alive.

But wishing never worked out for a person like him.

It didn't work when the village left him for dead. It didn't work when he was constantly attacked. It didn't work for anything he ever wanted. Well, not true actually. He did get a loving family to care about him.

But even now, that image was tarnished by a demon, stealing away his mother. But, he did have Iruka. His hard working, tender and mother-hen like father. He smiled. Maybe it will be alright.

He smile dimmed slightly, quickly exiting out the door in search for Iruka before he lost his nerve. However, he paused when he spotted Itachi near the staircase, talking in hushed tones to a stoned faced Kakashi. The blond tried to walk away as quickly as possible, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

He failed.

"Naruto," the voice hit him like a bucket of cold water. He froze mid-step.

"Kakashi will escort you to your father's new residence. Later on, I would like to sit you both down in order to discuss the rules of this household."

Itachi didn't even spare him a look, merely walking away when he finished speaking. Naruto didn't know whether to be offend or relieved. Instead, he settled on a frown, not liking the fact that he was being commanded, especially by the likes of a guy like Itachi.

That damned demented man.

"Right this way, Mr. Uzumaki." Kakashi was already in front of him, his mind not registering when he had approached. The older man just grinned under his mask, his visible eye closed, looking friendly and even welcoming. Unlike the day before, he was dressed more formally, dressed in an expensive looking suit, which looked out of place with his laid back movements.

Kakashi was even wearing a tie and Naruto briefly wondered if the nickname Monkey was appropriate. Because to the blond, that was what people in suits were, monkeys, _especially_ when they wore ties.

He stifled a laugh and followed Kakashi down the steps and through several hallways. He didn't know why Iruka had changed rooms, but he wasn't going to question it. He had a feeling he wouldn't get any answers anyway.

Naruto was led to his dad as promised, who apparently, was still sleeping. He looked so peaceful laying there, with the sunlight spilling onto his face and sheets falling off the bed. Naruto smiled but it turned into a frown when he caught Kakashi staring at Iruka. He didn't know why the man was looking at his father like that, it reminded him of the way Iruka and Ayame use to stare at each other before they had started arguing.

The silver haired man had no visible emotion in his only visible eye and neither did he move his face.

Kakashi quickly dismissed himself from the room, tending to his other duties. Naruto smile was back on his face at the sight of his father once more, jumping on the bed without a second thought. Iruka awoke with a yelp, hissing as he hit his head against the head broad. A trail of curses and hisses escaped his lips before his angered eyes landed on the weight on top of him.

"Naruto," he whispered, a hand reaching out and rubbing a scarred cheek. Naruto was grinning and he shifted his body, which Iruka was thankful for, for his son was now off his ribs.

"Morning dad." Iruka smiled before glancing at the grandfather clock tucked in the corner.

"Oh goodness, I overslept..." Iruka began to grumble. Naruto chuckled as he watched his father go in and out of mother-hen mood and panic. Finally Iruka landed on a guilty expression, feeling utterly horrible that he had overslept when so much work had to be done.

Then he realized where he was. He wasn't at his warm small house in Konoha. No, these weren't the same yellow walls of his bedroom or the same cotton sheets he shared with his wife. Instead, he had woken up in a cold room painted in forest green with a depressing aura to it. And the bed sheets were silk and smooth and had never been touched by his wife. His late wife. Grief hit at once but when he remembered the blond mop of hair, he forced a smile. For his son. The only remaining person that could possibly make him happy.

"Let me get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs okay?" Naruto nodded, quickly slipping off the sheets and out the room.

He patiently waited until his father came out, but even that wasn't quick enough.

"Naruto," Itachi called, voice cold and distant as ever. Oh how he hated him.

"When your father exits, I want you both to meet me downstairs in the living room. Like I mentioned earlier, there are rules to be discussed and if you want to live on my property, I advise you to become familiar with them."

Naruto glared at the older man, wishing the demon who had stolen his mother would kill the bastard too. He sure as hell wouldn't miss this victim. Itachi smirked darkly at him and Naruto had to fight back a shudder. This man must be a demon.

Iruka came out dressed in long pants, a tucked in long sleeved sweater and sandals. This was as casual as Iruka had ever allowed himself to be seen. Then again, that was the most black Naruto had ever seen on him. No splash of color anywhere. He followed Naruto to the living room where Itachi waited with a sour faced Sasuke. Kakashi was no where to be seen but Naruto mused he must be attending to some chores. He didn't bother giving it much thought afterwards.

The meeting had been short but it was long enough to leave Naruto in rage. He was in his room, stomping on the marble flooring. He was cursing as loudly as he could, hoping the bastard could hear him.

The guy sure was a control freak.

A fucking nut job.

Sure most of his requests sounded reasonable expect for the one that stated that they were 'never to question him' nor 'deny an order,' especially a direct order from him. It was all utter crap. And they couldn't refuse seeing as he was housing them and they had nowhere else left to go. And until they had their own place, Naruto and Iruka were under Itachi's control. And that was the blond's worst fear.

Naruto huffed, his mind filling up with possible scenarios of the cruel things Itachi could make him do. And the fact the man had demanded that they didn't 'break into locked doors' or 'go anywhere else without his permission,' that pissed him off the most because Naruto wasn't use to his freedom being swallowed up.

He didn't like that man at all. And plus, he was a curious being by nature and now Itachi gave him a mystery to unravel.

He grabbed his music player and popped in a CD. The Dresden Dolls's song, "Missed Me," started to play, blocking out the rest of the world. He fell asleep to the soothing vocals, luring his body to a peaceful retreat. When he awoke, the harsh lyrics of Tyler the Creator were blasting in his ears. Soon enough his head was bobbing to the beat of the song, "She." It wasn't his favorite but he enjoyed the music none the less. He peeked out the window, seeing the sun set.

Naruto sighed, annoyed at the fact he had wasted most of his day in bed. He had only been awake enough to eat and be tortured by stupid rules. Damn, his day had gone to shit while he wasn't paying attention. The blond grunted, debating whether to leave his room or not. His stomach begged him to leave, so he did. Itachi, surprisingly was nice enough to leave curfew at midnight. And he wanted to take advantage of that before the time arrived. He slipped into the kitchen and readied a meal. It was a simple sandwich, heavy in meat but it filled his stomach just fine.

The blond smiled to himself, skipping various songs before settling on another rap song, this time it was "Til I Collapse" by Eminem. The words seemed to lift his spirits as he silently made his way upstairs. At night, the stairs seemed to blend into the darkness. He almost tripped over some of the steps but finally arrived at his room with minimal bruising. The door closed behind him with a soft click, but the sound almost seemed to echo in the cold room as he put his iPod on pause. The music stopped and the silence began. It almost seemed to ring louder in his ears than the music had. Naruto sighed and crawled into bed, the silk sheets wrapped around his body.

He murmured something about the temperature of the room being too low. His blue eyes were hidden under his eyelids, long eyelashes binding together to signify that he was no longer conscious. Sleep had once again stolen him away.

When he woke up again, Naruto grew suddenly annoyed. According to his watch, it was four in the morning, too damn early for his taste. His body however, would not let him rest anymore, full of unused energy. The only Uzumaki in the household was resentful for that fact, knowing this was the start of a horrid sleeping pattern.

Naruto sighed, walking around the room, frowning at his miserable luck. Instead of wasting anymore time on pitying himself - it was getting him no where- he decided to read a book. The bookcase in his room covered an entire wall, collecting dust but the books were still in good condition. Readable, presentable and were just a lovely collection of classics and good reads. Naruto hummed as his hands roamed over hard covers, his fingers falling in love with the touch of leather and bindings of the pages.

Once he chose a story, he turned on a lamp, filling every corner of the room with light. Naruto went back on his bed, the silk sheets pooling around his crossed legs. He took a moment to observe the book, a decent sized red leather book with red binding and golden pages. It took the blond less than two hours to read the over 400 pages of text, instantly having fallen in love with every word dripping off the pages. He had sped right through the book, understood everything that was written and not written, and fell in and out of love and hate with the various characters. Overall, he was happy. But the happiness died down once the boredom settled in. Naruto decided he wasn't in the mood to read another tale and found himself laying down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

He wasn't surprised to feel his eyes drooping. Neither was he surprised when sleep hadn't come. Too tired to reopen his eyelids, he decided to recount old tales that his dad had passed on to him when he was younger. When mama was still around and healthy. Not deathly sick, pale and now dead. He tried to remember how his mother would stand by the door, leaning against its frame as his father would sit by his bedside. The man was usually tired but he still made the effort of showering his son with affection.

Iruka would weave fables and tales, just to help lure him to sleep. It usually worked, until Ayame started getting sick. Those stories, no matter how beautiful they were, could not distract him from the truth. His mother was dying in the next room, the chronic coughing fits reminding him of the awful situation every night and day.

Naruto pushed those thoughts away, feeling tears spill down his face. He paused in panic however, when he felt something wipe them away. His eyes snapped open, only to be looking up at his ceiling. He propped himself on his forearms and elbows, but nothing seemed out of place. Nothing and no one was there. The door was still locked, nothing was disturbed, no unwanted shadows and the windows were closed.

He shrugged and took his previous position on the bed, closing his eyes shut. Naruto thought about the great gods and goddesses of Greece, images of their stories forming in his head, playing out like a show in his mind. He was finally at ease, his body gave out and he was asleep.

And then being awaken by the harsh sounds of rain, wind and thunder outside his window, was not the most pleasant thing Naruto had experienced. In fact, it was quite irritating. He looked at his watch, somewhat happy that it wasn't an ungodly hour. It was 8 and he was hungry. He made his way to the kitchen, having a creepy thought. He felt as if the paintings on the walls were watching him, following his every movement. His footsteps became heavier as he ran down the stairs and through the empty halls.

He ate his meal, reheated rice and chicken, wallowing in the silence. Naruto didn't feel comfortable, feeling a bit isolated. He had never liked the silence. It reminded him of all the things that went wrong in his life.

The fire, swallowing his previous life filled with happy smiles, laughter, and a warm house. All stolen away from him, burned up in flames. He could hear the screams echoing in his ears, reminding him of the nightmares that still haunted him. But they weren't just nightmares, they were memories. Then there were his days at the orphanage.

The orphanage, which was suppose to be a second home for him, sheltering him from the pain his loss had caused him. But in reality, it was a jail with little monsters hiding behind the masks of innocent children. Everything about that place was tainted, with his screams, tears and blood. It was a twisted place that revealed how unfair life was. The caretakers had abused him, he knew that now, but the words and the wounds could never be taken back or healed. They were engraved into his mind as much as into his skin.

Then there was his mother.

In one memory, she was a healthy tan colour, dancing with Iruka and singing to a song on the radio. In another, she was collapsed on the ground, barely breathing and covered in her own blood. He remembered having to cover his ears in the middle of the night, fighting back tears as he heard her battle her illness. Sheets, covered in red thrown into the dirty piles of clothes, loud and painful coughs echoing throughout the house and his mother dropping items on the floor. That was after things started to get bad, when a civil war was just beginning. Where even their country was on the brink of illness and death, adding onto the chaos.

Things went from bad to worst. Ayame started to forget things, hands were always trembling to the point she wasn't able to hold onto things properly without it falling. At one point, she had even cut herself when she dropped a plate, the shards slicing through her hand when she tried to pick up the pieces. The very memory made Naruto cradle his head, once again fighting back tears like when he was younger. He had learned to be strong and helped his mother as best as he could. But it was tiring.

And then the demon came and stole her away. It was the end to her pain and her life.

He sighed, cleaned his dishes and wiped away any more negative thoughts. But just as he did so, Itachi had walked into the kitchen.

Fuck.

Black eyes met his blue ones, sending a chill down his spine. The eldest Uchiha didn't speak, instead he just brewed himself some coffee, unrolled the newspaper he was carrying and relaxed in his chair. Naruto was confused by the silence but wasn't going to let a good thing go to waste.

The blond was about to leave when Itachi requested him to have a seat. Naruto shuddered but remembered the rule: No refusing the head of the household.

Double fuck.

He sat down, shifting in his seat in an uncomfortable manner. Itachi took a sip of his coffee, his face hidden by the newspaper. The paper was briefly put down, revealing a more casual Itachi. His hair was still in a loose ponytail, however, he wasn't sporting the suit Naruto was so use to seeing him in. The Uchiha wore an open black robe, putting on display a shirtless chest and low hanging pants. Dangerously low pants, Naruto concluded as Itachi got up, walking around the kitchen to put away his cup. The man was hot, the definition of sex if he was honest with himself. But of course, he wasn't being honest. Naruto would go as far as saying that the man was _good looking _maybe even gorgeous but that was the only thought he would entertain. Surely, he was only staring in envy at the abdominal muscles and the deep V of the man's hips. He was merely looking because he wanted those things for his own body, nothing more, nothing less. Yep.

Yet he still managed to catch himself blushing. The blond played the blush on his cheeks off as embarrassment, knowing all too well that one tug to those sweatpants and the man's whole anatomy would be exposed. And Naruto never wanted to see another's guy's _thing. _He made a low gagging sound at the thought, revolted at the prospect of that ever happening.

His lips felt suddenly dry, but he refused to lick them, not wanting to make any movements that would remind Itachi of his presence. However, moments later he began to move his body. Staying still was never one of his strengths. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning into his chair and wanting nothing more than to bolt out the door. No matter how badly he hated to admit it, Itachi scared him. It was a bruise to his ego to even acknowledge the fact but as long as he only knew, then he was safe.

Now that Itachi had no distractions, his eyes seemed to be boring into the blond. Naruto noted, with much disdain, that those endless onyx eyes had a strange effect on him. That was not a good sign. He fought back a glare but his annoyance showed on his face. Itachi did not find that amusing.

The man went back to his newspaper and Naruto sighed in relief. However, his back stiffened at the next set of words.

"Remember what I said to you on the first day?"

Naruto nodded, not liking where this was going. Of course he would remember waking up to someone threatening him!

"I still intend on keeping that promise. But due to your circumstances, I have decided to leave it to a later date."

_Oh, how kind of you, _the blond thought sarcastically.

He glared at the older man, resentful. But he didn't dare say anything, not wanting to push his luck. No need to make a situation worse than it was. His mother's dead, his father's depressed as was he, and he didn't need to add a bitter man on his plate. Well, maybe it was too late for that, seeing as Itachi made it clear that he would be safe for a limited time. He wanted to growl, to scream, to punch him, but he held his composure. He didn't need the man getting off on his misery anytime soon. The blush came back but he once again ignored it, glaring with fierce and unforgiving azure eyes.

He was done playing victim. If Itachi wanted a fight, then he would get one. Naruto made it his mission to make the dark haired man ever regret starting a war with the Prankster from Hell. He didn't get that title for nothing. He nodded, masking his mirth with a mask of annoyance. Masks were his specialty after all.

He excused himself, obeying the rule to never be rude and walked out of the kitchen.

-(2)-

If I could take your pain  
I wish that I could wash it all away

___**Jedi Mind Tricks** - _"Razorblade Salvation" 

-(2)-

The water burned as it ran down his back and chest, flowing below his waist and swirling down the drain. He liked the water when it burned him, he enjoyed the pain, because it made him forget. Forget his sadness, his mother, his troubles and even himself at times. All those things just seemed to float away and down the pipes. His skin flushed red due to the scorching heat but he stayed under the shower head, eyes open and staring down at the bathtub flooring.

He lost himself in his thoughts, contemplating what he was to do. If the war had never happened, he would have been a senior in high school. However, the war did happen, making high school and college nothing more than a distant dream. Naruto hummed to himself, disappointed with the direction of his life but wanting to make the best of it. But he found it difficult at the moment, trying to juggle his blooming depression with his mask, staying strong, private studies and a soon to be blown out war with Itachi.

He growled at the thought. That stupid man made him angry to the point he wished death upon him. And he never did that, but he didn't feel bad. In fact, he knew if Itachi suddenly died, he would be elated...if only that meant they, his father and him, wouldn't be put in the streets. He sighed and washed himself, the soap forming into foam on his flesh. He got out with a yawn, throwing a towel over his shoulder after he dried, muscles flexing as he stretched upwards. His back cracked with a satisfying pop and he grinned to himself, sated and relaxed. He walked out of the bathroom that was at the end of the hallway, completely forgetting his own nakedness. It was a habit of his, walking around bare without a care in the world, because he disliked clothes. In fact, he hated them, finding them annoying and only putting them on when he had to. Like when he had guests over or something.

But now, he strutted down the hallway as if it were a runway, hips swaying back and forth with each stride. It was the dead of night, the day having passed him by without a single glance his way. It was rather boring. His days had morphed into a bland dish, flavorless and dull. It was a routine now: wake up, eat, go to room, bathe, eat again and back to sleep.

Boring!

He huffed, missing the way he could just walk out the door and not be worried of being bombed or hanging out with his friends without a curfew. But of course, the war took care of all the good times, washing them away with ash and blood. He ran his hand through his messy strands, pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind. Those memories were of no use to him now. In fact, they were utterly useless because they wouldn't help keep him safe at night or at all. They actually made him want to cry, but even that was useless. If he started crying, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop. On the outside he looked calm and ready to take on the world, but on the inside he was a wreck.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and fought back whatever tears that wanted to come, wanting them to forever be a prisoner in his body. His hands swept over his collar bones, rubbing the skin with his fingers, eyes closed and humming a low sensual tune. He continued to walk until he reached his doors, heavy and hard against his palms as he pushed. But he stopped in mid stride, before he had completely entered his room and turned around, eyes wide and panicky.

He forgot it. He forgot it! How in the fuck could he have forgotten such a special thing? He was enraged with himself, bitter and resentful at his memory as he ran down the hall. He reached the bathroom, naked feet meeting with tiled flooring. Naruto looked and looked, his hands and eyes frantic as he searched for his precious possession. Then he spotted it, hidden in the shadows beneath the sink. His hand reached out to it, clasping it in his hand and pulling it to his chest quickly, as if he was going to lose it if he were too slow. He must have looked like a fool, grinning from ear to ear, teeth exposed and cheeks hurting.

He turned on the heel of his foot and walked towards the door, eyes downcast on his necklace, and face resembling that of a clown.

"You look somewhat mad," the monotone voice made his head snap up, shoulders stiffen and back erect in alert. Naruto growled at the man before him, blocking the exit to the bathroom.

He saw black eyes slowly move down his body and that was when he suddenly remembered his nudity. Fuck. The towel that had been thrown over his shoulder, was suddenly wrapped around his waist in quick swift movements. He didn't need Itachi seeing him naked. The evident blush on his face made the older man smirk, eyes flashing red for a split second before morphing back into coal. Naruto shivered but held his ground. Getting confused counted as a distraction, something he didn't need at the moment.

Itachi did nothing else, just continued to stare as he sipped his coffee, probably all black with no cream if he was in a bad mood. Or maybe he was drinking coffee with a dose of cream and a cube of sugar if he was in a good mood. Naruto did not find it amusing that he knew those little details. The fact he even paid attention to them upset him at the mere thought.

They had a brief staring contest before Itachi moved to the side, his masculine figure no longer leaning against the door frame, and thus, no longer blocking the exit. The blond quickly stepped out, blushing in annoyance as he brushed against the clothed arm of the eldest Uchiha and felt a pair of eyes follow his body.

He wasn't getting sleep that night.


	5. The Burning of the Past

**Dead End **AKA **A DEMON'S WISH**

* * *

**The Burning of the Past**

He stood in front of the door, painted black with a bronze knob, hesitating to open it. All he had to do was turn the knob, walk down the stairs and he would be in the basement. But he lacked the courage. He feared of what he might find, feared the things that might be lurking or hiding in the shadows. He took a deep breath and opened the door, walked down the old wooden steps that creaked under his weight and was consumed by the darkness. He couldn't see anything.

But he could feel the cold against his skin, making him shiver violently and his teeth chatter. But that didn't stop Naruto from walking forward, his steps echoing in his ears. Maybe he should have listened to Itachi about staying away from the basement. But it was too late now and he felt some kind of sadistic joy at breaking a rule, especially one that stated Itachi was his master and him a lowly obedient slave. The blond would have shuddered at the thought if he wasn't shaking so badly.

His left hand trailed along the wall, using it as a guide, while his other was raised up, feeling for a chord or a light bulb. He got what he wanted, his hands pulling on a silver beaded chord, light filling up the darkened room. He flinched for a second, eyes closing in an attempt to adjust to the change in brightness. But then they fluttered open, deep azure eyes scanning the room's contents.

The room seemed empty, looking more like a cement cage, feeling cold and dark even when filled with light. He walked towards a door he spotted in the distance, made out of glass with a silver door knob. He quickly opened it and walked through the dark passageway it revealed. Naruto had never been afraid of the dark, not even as a small child, for the dark was nothing compared to the cruelty of humans.

He once again used the wall as a guide, not even bothering to look for a light until he bumped into something. His hands immediately latched on to what he had knocked into, fingers exploring. The thing was square with jagged edges and at his height. He grabbed the flashlight that was tucked away in his hoodie and turned it on. He knew it would have made more sense if he had done that in the first place, but Naruto knew he wasn't the smartest person and plus, paranoia of being caught had played a part in his lapse of judgement.

The light landed on a box stacked upon box stacked upon even more boxes. He scanned the room with the flashlight and noted, with a tad amount of surprise, that the _entire_ room was filled to the brim with boxes and cases, each carefully taped and labelled. He walked between the spaces of the stacked boxes, foot steps echoing and breath coming out in deep inhales and long exhales. Naruto wasn't afraid of the dark but of the things it contained. It was a paranoia that he had developed during the start of the war. He held his head high and kept his senses on high alert... just in case.

The blond continued to walk around the room till he reached the very back of it and was about to turn back when he heard the hollow 'thump.' He looked down and only noticed wooden boards that blended in with the others, but when he stomped down, the hollow sound once again met his ears. He moved the pile of boxes blocking his way to the side and bent down, the flashlight between his teeth and hands trying to find some gap or latch in the boards. The blond found one, under another small board which had a finger tip sized gap. It revealed a latch which he quickly used to raise about 5 or so wooden boards. The lifted boards revealed a dark pit with a cement staircase and all Naruto could do was stare.

He didn't dare take a step downwards, worried about what might become of him if he did so. He debated over what to do, knowing that he didn't have much time before Itachi and Kakashi arrived back from where ever the hell they went, or before Iruka started looking for him.

But he wanted to, no, want was not the right word. He _needed _to know what was down _there_. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and sighed, before putting everything- the wooden latch, the lid, and the boxes that use to cover the wooden panels- back in its place. The blond didn't need anyone to know, especially Itachi, that he had been down here.

He quickly left the room, closed the door and walked through the cold and empty basement and ran up the stairs. Before he even thought about opening the door, Naruto checked to see if the coast was clear. It would do him no good if he was caught at this point and all of his previous actions and his cautious movements would have been for nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Seeing no one, the blonde Uzumaki walked out, the door shutting behind him with a soft 'click.' The male teenager grinned like a fool and turned the corner, only to knock into a hard chest that just so happened to belong to Itachi fucking Uchiha. Just his luck.

The older man raised an eyebrow, looking at him with orbs of coal black.

"And where, pray tell, were you in such a rush to get to?" His voice, though a dull monotone, was firm and demanding. Even the man's eyes were sharp and threatening. The blond knew he had to choose his words carefully.

"To bed." It was the truth and Naruto never fancied himself a liar. Plus, lying never really worked out for him, seeing as his voice would quiver and his eyes would dart around the room instead of on the person he was talking to. All signs of his obvious deception. And though faking smiles were his specialty, faking truths was not.

The owner kept his eyes on him a bit longer, as if he were trying to see right through Naruto and his words.

"You are dismissed."

Naruto bolted for the stairs and tripped a couple of times trying to get to the safety of his room. He closed the door and locked it, wanting nothing more than for the entrance to blend into the walls, never to be found again. He had to be careful of what he did when around Itachi.

The blond crawled into bed, eyes boring into the ceiling and mind wandering to dark places. He didn't like where his mind went when he was alone, that was why he always surrounded himself with people, whether or not they wanted his company. But now, he was alone and his demons were going to take advantage of it. They came out, clawing and vicious as always, tearing his sanity into shreds and weakening his resolve. His body shook as he recalled the smell of rotting flesh, his stomach turning and doing terrible flips at the thought. His hands glided over the burn marks on his body, flinching as he did so, as if those marks were still fresh. But they still were in a way, at least in his head they were, as was the memory that came with it. He bit his lip and fought back the memories of that day. The day his childhood ended.

A knock on the door saved him.

"Naruto," the familiar sound of his father's voice made the blond smile. He needed something, now more than ever to keep him sane. The door opened, revealing Iruka with a steaming pot of food in his hands. It reminded Naruto of old times, of when he was young and his mother was well and his father was home by dinnertime.

"Hi dad," Iruka smiled at his son, glad that he at least had his child with him during this difficult time.

"Hey son, you okay?" Naruto nodded, even if he really didn't feel alright. He felt sick, but he would keep on smiling, for the sake of a fragile Iruka.

His father handed him the plate of his signature ramen, a recipe that he had made since he discovered Naruto's addiction to it. The blond thanked him and dug in, the droplets from the soup falling onto the silk sheets.

"If Itachi knew, he'll surely throw a fit," Iruka chuckled, his hands ruffling blond strands.

Naruto smiled, happy that in some way, he was getting back at Itachi for his uncomfortable stay. He hoped it would be over soon.

"Dad?"

Iruka looked away from the open window and to his son. Naruto noticed he had a dazed look in his eyes, and he suddenly wanted to vomit. He knew why he had that look. He swallowed his question and painted on a smile, knowing that asking anything associated with their old life, their old home, would result in tears from his father.

He never wanted to see his father cry.

"I love you," he said instead.

"I love you too."

And with one last lingering look at his son, Iruka walked out the room.

Naruto sighed, hoping this wouldn't become the usual interaction between them. Because if it was, then he would surely break. He didn't want to think that he really did have a broken family. But it seemed that that was the reality of his situation. He fought back the tears that wanted to spill at that thought, but some managed to leak out. His hand managed to stop them from falling too far, but now he had to fight back the sobs that threatened to make him revert back to his childhood self.

He couldn't have that.

As a kid, he was always crying. Sure, kids cried, but most didn't endure the horrific things he had to. First witnessing the death of his parents and barely surviving the fire himself, followed by the orphanage that was like hell on earth, then the demon and now this?

What the hell had he done in his past life to deserve this? Was he not good enough of a child that his parents went off and got themselves burned alive? Did they plan on disposing of him that way too? Naruto shook his head in desperation, knowing that those questions were the complete opposite of what happened. His parents loved him, he knew that.

_Or do you? _

A voice hissed in his mind and he pulled on his hair and rocked back and forth in the bed. He couldn't take the self pity or those agonizing questions. He was sick and tired of the constant battle since their death. The only thing that had kept him strong was his new family, but it had crumbled before his very eyes. Ayame was dead and Iruka was slowly dying inside thanks to her death. His life had never been great, not since Minato's and Kushina's deaths. Not since he was a youngster with the whole world planned out in his head. He was supposed to be in high school, applying to universities and internships. Instead he was hiding out in an unwelcoming mansion with an owner who hated him. He was suppose to go travel the world, but before the move to the Uchiha mansion, the most he had traveled was out to the front porch.

The blond took in a shaky breath before he lost the battle. The first wave was the harshest and the only one he fought against. He was sick of the war he had waged on himself, trying to keep all the negative emotions bottled up. Now those very emotions he had battled to keep at bay flooded his system. Once the first tear fell, there was nothing he could do, he just couldn't stop. Naruto rolled into a ball and cried for what seemed like hours.

His whole body shook and his chest hurt as he struggled to breathe. He thought of the night that the fire broke out, turning everything he loved and knew into ashes. He had barely escaped, his father using the little bit of time he had to take him outside and out of danger. Then... then he had turned around, running back inside for his mother.

Naruto never saw him again.

His fingers felt numb as he ran them over the burn marks all over his body. He hadn't been in the house long enough to get third degree burns, but they were still noticeable.

His body started to calm, even as he thought back to his days in the orphanage. He started to shake again, more in anger than in sadness. Naruto pushed those thoughts aside, but let the anger run its course. It was better than the overwhelming sadness he had felt. He groaned as he got out of bed.

Damn, he felt like shit.

Rubbing his eyes with the back of his wrist, he took his towel and rushed to the washroom. He didn't even bother looking in the mirror, knowing full well how he looked after a good cry. He discarded his clothes in a careless manner, not bothering to fold them or close the door. His father had gone someplace, most likely mourning in his room. Kakashi was usually no where to be seen and he knew Itachi had a meeting today, so he wasn't likely to walk in on him today. He kind of hoped he would, just so he could have a reason to punch him. The blond snorted, remembering the last time the bastard had walked in on him searching for his necklace, naked. That was the last time he had walked nude, outside of his room at least.

The anger that had entered him earlier, seemed to have been washed away by the water, because after he got out from his shower, he felt refreshed. He still felt like shit, but less than before. And that was when he noticed he didn't have a change of clothes. Oh great. He had no other choice but to wrap the towel around his waist and hopefully not bump into anyone that wasn't his father.

The blond walked down the hallway, intending to go to his room, but as soon as he saw the basement door, he stopped. He chewed on his bottom lip, the temptation to discover something completely unknown to him lured him to the door and away from his destination. Looking both ways down the hallway, and seeing no one, he decided to throw caution to the air and descend the stairs. He just hoped Itachi didn't find out.

**ITACHI:**

Itachi stared indifferently at the squirming man in front of him, a glass of wine gripped loosely between his slender fingers. He supposed that threatening might not have been the best route to take, but it was the most effective and quickest method to get what he wanted. And through he was patient, he didn't have all the time in the world for some idiot to come to a decision.

The man beside him snorted, taking a generous sip from the half full glass of aged red wine. If he let Kisame have his own way, he would surely leave drunk. But that was not professional and the beady eyed man knew better than to mess up a meeting or risk the Uchiha's wrath. Feeling eyes on him, his partner immediately stopped drinking and instead started shifting though papers that would help make them millions.

Itachi looked at the man before him, again with an indifferent gaze. The man before him surely was not worth his time. He was a plain man, short and full of himself, not something pleasant to look at. But he wouldn't stop staring, knowing how unnerving his stare could be. And that was the point of the meeting: to get Gato to sign the damn papers. The man had avoided signing over his companies, which were already under investigation by the Uchiha Police Corporation. The investigation had not originally been part of his plan to seize the small yet corrupted companies, but it did help. It would put pressure on Gato to find a way out, and by thinking he had signed off all his troubles away to the Uchiha, he hoped Itachi would take the fall for his bad deeds.

Fat chance.

The oldest Uchiha knew that even if he took Gato's properties, that the man would still be in danger of being arrested and most likely given the death penalty. Itachi would make sure of that. Gato had made an enemy out of him once and would regret it for the rest of his life.

"Well?" He took another sip of his drink, legs crossed and posture relaxed against his uncomfortable chair. His stare was piercing and made the shorter man feel inferior, which he was if someone had the guts to ask the great Uchiha.

"Gato, if you waste any more of my time, we both know what will happen," the _I will ruin you _part went unsaid but hanged in the air, above Gato's head. They all knew Itachi didn't make empty threats, finding them a waste of breath, just like the very conversation he was having.

He would honestly rather be home, watching a young tan man walk the hallways with nothing but his birthday suit. He took another sip, and waited as Gato lifted a pen with stubby, chubby fingers and he felt his stomach recoil in disgust. Those fingers were nothing like his slender ones, or like the tan ones of Uzumaki's. Hm, maybe he was dwelling on that child for far too long.

He allowed a small smirk at that thought, knowing Naruto was far from a child. The equipment between his legs proved that. He took another sip, finishing his glass just as Gato finished signing his papers. The fool had just given away all the corporations under his name and bought his own ticket to jail. Itachi wanted to laugh but he kept his composure, as an Uchiha, it was expected of him.

"Thank you for your time," the smile on his face was cruel and it only got bigger when Gato gulped.

"Dismissed." And with that, Kisame led the old goat out.

-(1)-

Do you know what's worth fighting for?  
When it's not worth dying for?  
Does it take your breath away and you feel yourself suffocating?  
Does the pain weigh out the pride?  
And you look for a place to hide?  
Did someone break your heart inside, you're in ruins

_**Green Day** - "21 Guns"_

-(1)-

Outside was blazing hot and eerily quiet. Usually there was the distant sound of bombs and clouds of smoke drowning out the image of screaming people. The silence was unusual outside of his room, but not unwelcome. He shed his suit jacket by the time he reached the double doors of his mansion, his hand pushing against the metal with ease. When he entered, he saw a sleeping Iruka on the couch, a book hiding his scared face. He didn't mind that his guest was using his expensive sofa as a bed. He had told them that they could use his place as they wished, as long as they abide by his rules. And since Iruka was a person governed by rules, he was use to obeying them without question, unless they went against his morals.

Itachi made sure they didn't, not wanting Kakashi's friend to rebel against him. He knew his servant wouldn't be too happy to find his friend on the floor, dead.

However, though he trusted Iruka enough not to be too weary of him -knowing Kakashi would keep a very close eye on him and hopefully not just his ass- he was still distrusting of Naruto. The blond was too stubborn for his own health and was growing to be a pain in his neck. Itachi sighed, walking into the kitchen. Today was amusing, yet tiring and he needed a nice big cup of coffee to keep him from killing a certain trouble making devil.

He drank his coffee slowly, all black, no cream or sugar. He liked the bitter taste it left in his mouth on days like these, serving as a reminder that even when things seemed to be going good, that there was still bad in the world. Or maybe it was because coffee gave him a small sense of euphoria, seeing as it was a stimulant. Whichever the reason, he didn't really care, as long as he was able to consume it without any disturbances.

He hummed into his drink, letting the stress evaporate with the steam of the coffee. It was times like these that made him appreciate solicitude. Other times his mind would wander to dark places, but now wasn't one of those times. Now was the time to relax and not dwell on the negatives. He had wasted too much of his time on that.

His eyes strayed from the black cup clasped in his hands to the hallway. Its bare walls made him frown every time, missing the warm touch of his mother's. She always tried to make their mansion less like a prison and more like a home. But now, with her gone, their home felt more like a hellhole, leaving him vacant and trapped. Itachi sighed and washed the now empty cup. He wasn't in the mood to brew more coffee, even if his system was begging for more.

His hands glided over the pale walls, wondering why only he could hear the manor's screams. Every crack and room of the residence, even the very place itself, bled of secrets. Secrets even he wasn't ready to explore. He withdrew his fingers, suddenly finding the black nail polish on them more interesting than the crisp white wall hiding memories from the past.

He heaved another sigh, turned his back and started walking, all while ignoring the bleeding of what he once considered his home.

**NARUTO:**

The basement was cold, just like he remembered, and like before, it was still lonely. He breathed in deeply, easing his nerves. He's been down here for about an hour, his skin having dried long ago from the shower. He was still staring at the hidden door that led under the planks in the basement, trying to work up the nerve to walk down the cement steps.

At this point, he was thinking that might not be such a good idea.

He was only clothed by a towel, which was held by a simple knot on his hip that he had to keep tightening every so often. Everything else was exposed, including his feet. And he was pretty sure that if he went down there, he would require shoes, because he sure as hell didn't want to get cut by broken glass or have his toes bruised by things he couldn't see. Which led to another point, he had no flashlight and he wasn't sure if there was a working light bulb down there.

More ever, he was trying to find a way to NOT go down there than he was trying to convince himself to actually do it. Naruto was known to be a risk taker, but there was something about the mansion that made him pause and actually think about his actions. Maybe it wasn't the manor, maybe it was...

"Itachi," he whispered, panic flooding his system as he heard footsteps above him. He knew the man's footsteps already, something that unnerved him greatly, seeing as it took months for him to familiarize himself with Iruka's steady steps.

He hurried to close the hatch and put everything back in its place, double checking afterwards to make sure everything was in its actual place. Itachi had lived in the mansion for years and would surely know if anything was out of place. Naruto couldn't afford to anger the man, as much as he wanted to. He couldn't afford to be homeless with the war still in full throttle, a flesh stealing demon still on the loose and Iruka barely recovering from his dear wife's death. It would be a horrible mistake on his part if he got them kicked out. And having Iruka forgive him afterwards would only make his guilt worse.

He walked out of the basement as quickly as possible and up the stairs to his room. But of course, just like before, he bumped into Itachi, literally. He was getting sick and tired of bumping into the muscled chest of that damn man! He glared at the older male, hoping his gaze would somehow make him drop dead before him.

No such luck.

Itachi raised any eyebrow at the barely clothed youth, silently wondering if the child was going to be the death of him.

"Naruto, how old are you?" The blond shivered, unsure of the reason and playing it off as the cold.

"Seventeen, turning eighteen next month."

"Libra then, explains a lot."

Naruto growled, "and what the hell is that suppose to mean?"

The brunette shook his head, took one last look at the boy and turned away, but Naruto wouldn't let him. The blond grabbed him by the back of his expensive dress shirt and spun him around to face the shorter of the two. Rageful blue eyes bore into him, but they didn't faze Itachi, in fact, they only amused him.

"What? Just cause you know my sign you think you figured me out then? Huh? Well let me tell you something _Uchiha_," he spat the name as if it burned him.

"I define myself. Not my sign and sure as hell not you."

Naruto released his grasp, not caring that he wrinkled Itachi's favorite black shirt and scowling for knowing that.

Itachi smirked and all the rage his body contained was suddenly replaced with fear. He gulped, knowing that those types of smirk, slow and dark, only meant one thing: Torture.

"Trust me when I say this Na-ru-to," the syllables of his name were stretched out by that low voice, sounding so very _wrong_ to his ears.

"That I do intend to get to know you and quite well might I say," those words were whispered in his ear, Itachi's face hovering over his neck, and accompanied by skillful hands gliding over the knot of his towel.

And with a flick of his wrist, the towel came undone, leaving Naruto naked and flushed red, in the middle of a cold hallway. Itachi straightened up, taking in the sight that Naruto made before escaping to the nearest room possible before the blond blew up.

And blew up he did.

"Itachi you bastard! I'll get you back for this!" He didn't know how, but if it was one thing that Naruto was known for, it was his pranks. And with a dark grin of his own, he slipped into his room, plotting his revenge against the oldest Uchiha. It wouldn't be easy but it'll sure be fun as hell to knock him by a peg or two.

He just hoped it wouldn't blow up in his face.


	6. Trouble is Brewing

**Dead End **AKA **A DEMON'S WISH**

* * *

Save some for me, it's what I like.  
I wanna play, you know it's time.

_**Korn** - "Freak on the Leash"_

* * *

**Naruto:**

Naruto grinned, hands cupping the small tear drop necklace he had. He liked staring at it; sometimes he even stared at it for hours at a time, something even Iruka had found strange. But he didn't understand, no one could understand, how much that necklace meant to him. It wasn't just a jewel attached to a simple string. No. It was his world, a world that was left behind, buried under ashes and corpses. It held his memories from childhood, the smiles of his mother and the warm laughs from his father. It held his godmother's blunt remarks and his godfather's tough love. This simple jewel, beautiful and blue, was a reminder that not all was lost in the new world that he was stuck in. That the war happening just outside his window, would one day come to an end. That he would one day experience the happiness he had when he was a mere child, before he was stuck behind the doors of the orphanage.

He gently tied the necklace around his neck, letting his hands play with the hanging crystal. His eyes trailed to the mirror and he scoffed at his reflection. He felt like a damn fool and he sure as hell looked like one too. Naruto was wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt and black dress shoes. The blond felt like a monkey in a suit, the clothes constricting against his rib cage. He didn't think he could breathe with the amount of layers he was forced to wear. He refused to wear a tie, instead opting for the necklace he wore since he was a child. The blond knew he would hear Itachi's mouth if not Iruka's. But no matter what, he was not wearing a tie. He had nothing against them; it was just, well you know, he felt like they were chocking the shit out of him.

Yeah, not a good feeling.

Naruto didn't understand why he had to dress up like a soulless corporate puppet, especially if it was for Itachi. The Uchiha didn't need him to dress like one of his employees. He didn't need to be present at this little "party" filled with people he could care less for. Why was a party even being held at a time when people were dying before they even reached their door? And because Itachi wasn't hosting the party, he couldn't really give the man a piece of his mind concerning _that_ issue. But he could give him a piece of his mind for forcing him to attend that little fancy get together hosted by one of his associates.

Damn, like he gave a fuck.

Maybe he could pretend to be ill. He still had some time to make up an excuse, an hour tops. His hand pressed against the crystal, trying to calm himself down. He didn't belong in Itachi's world, and he was hoping to keep away from it as much as possible. But now, that collision between his world and Itachi's was looming in the distant like the blistering winter was soon to be.

He didn't want to think about it, but the thought kept wiggling back to the front of his mind, squishing all other thoughts until it was the only one remaining. That seemed to be the usual these days. Every thought that he had of the older man kept weaving itself into his brain, constantly, strangling all other thoughts until all he could think of was Itachi. Naruto didn't like that one bit, but all his efforts to surpass those thoughts had been in vain. So he let the thoughts run their course, but brought them to a full halt if they went down a road too...

He blushed as a particular thought turned down a more sexual path. His hands played with the hem of the suit, shifting it to see if it would make it easier to breathe. When that failed he unbuttoned the jacket. He hadn't worn a suit since the death of Ayame's father, two years prior to her own death. So why did he choose to wear this suit of all times? Oh, that's right. Because they didn't want to be an inconvenience or at least that was the case according to Iruka. But unlike him, Iruka had an array of suits at his disposal. Him? Not so much.

With the jacket off, he could breathe a little easier, but even that wasn't enough. So having no other option, he undid the first few buttons of his shirt. Seriously, he rather be naked right now. Naruto enjoyed the freedom of being bare gave him, but he had to wear this stupid outfit. With his chest now free of the tight silk shirt, he could breathe easy now. Oh how he wished he could strip off those clothes! But he couldn't, because in a few moments, he would have to redress in that ridiculous getup. Naruto sneered at that... that awful excuse for an outfit. If he was forced to wear clothes, than he wanted them to be as comfortable as possible. No excuses. But he knew Itachi wasn't having that. The man was an uptight git! It was a wonder if he ever got laid.

"He needs some pussy in his life," he mumbled, his left hand resting on his stomach, while the other supported part of his weight. He was leaning against his bed, wishing, for the millionth time, to sink into the sheets. Those sheets were so soft and tempting, luring him to sleep and back into those sweet dreams of his. Where skin met skin and agony turned into ecstasy.

"Fuck damn it!" he grunted, shaking his head as if that will rid him of dirty thoughts. Naruto barely ever questioned his sexuality. But with all these thoughts of Itachi, he was beginning to think maybe he liked the bastard.

"No," he reasoned.

"I just think he's hot."

Yeah cause that made the situation better. It all boiled down to him liking Itachi in some way, physically at the least. He was nowhere near the level of love, not even after a month of living with the bastard. That he could say with confidence and with the way things were going between them, it would never reach that level. With a quick glance to the clock, he began to re-button his shirt, borrowed from Sasuke who warned him not to taint it with his "stupidness." That teme.

He entered the living room with heavy steps; his feet dragging into the ground, as if its weight alone could keep him in the mansion. But an agitated yell from Iruka to pick up his feet brought him back to reality, where he had no option but to leave the safety of the mansion. Well, mostly the safety of his room. He rarely ventured out to explore it anymore, since Itachi was staying home more often than not. He really did not want to go and he hoped it showed on his face. Maybe if they saw how uncomfortable he was, they would let him stay.

No such luck.

Before he knew it, he was being crammed in a car with crazy haired Kakashi as a driver. Iruka was seated next to his son, wearing a similar suit to Naruto's own. But unlike Naruto, his suit fit and he wore a green tie. His father's eyes seemed to glare at him, frowning at the lack of tie.

"Naruto-"

"I know," he quickly cut him off, eyes staring out the window. He caught the reflection of the man sat in front of him, Itachi. He too was wearing a black suit, with a dark gray collared shirt and a blood red tie. The suit was simple, but well tailored, making Naruto suddenly feel under dressed. His coal black eyes were focused on a computer screen, slender fingers typing at the speed of light. Next to him sat Sasuke with a navy suit, white shirt and blue tie, but Naruto paid no mind to him.

He only had eyes for Itachi anyway.

When Itachi's fingers stilled over the keyboard, his eyes detached themselves from the reflection, instead going back to stare at the passing buildings that seemed to multiply by each passing second. The Uchiha household, he noted, seemed isolated compared to where they were going now. Around where they lived, the buildings were scattered about, the nearest one being a mile or so away. He understood that the eldest Uchiha liked his privacy but honestly, wasn't that going too far as to buy a place as far away from humans as possible? Then again, it could be worst. He could be living in a basement right now.

Which reminded him, he had to build up the courage to go down the stairs to the hidden entrance in the basement. It had been a while since he visited and his curiosity had yet to be sated. With one last glance at Itachi, he walked out the car. They had reached their destination.

The stretch limo, which the man only used for special occasions, which included flaunting his wealth and power to those he disliked, parked in front of an extravagant mansion. Unlike the Uchiha Mansion, it didn't ooze darkness or power. It didn't really ooze anything. It was white with gold, big with 5 or so stories. But the Uchiha mansion was bigger and wider. It had large windows, Greek pillars and a large trimmed lawn. But the Uchiha Mansion had acres of land, had Gothic windows and reeked of secrets. This mansion, however, seemed more like an over sized decoration and felt flat compared to the unraveled mystery of the Uchiha residence.

With Sasuke's hand guiding him by the elbow, he was able to get into the building, his tense father trailing behind him with Itachi. Kakashi was nowhere to be seen among the masses of people whose faces seemed to blur together until they formed a faceless mask with moving mouths and strange hand gestures. They all seemed to be one person, dressed in heavy jewels and watches, a cup of wine in one hand and a moving hand making what they were saying more interesting than what it was.

"This is boring," he mumbled to himself, straightening his back and avoiding Itachi. Seeing him interact would only remind him of the very different worlds they came from.

"Itachi!" he heard a deep voice call out, forcing his attention away from observing the structure of the building. Azure eyes locked on to an unfamiliar figure. The new person was a strange sight, neither appealing nor unattractive. He stood out among the faceless masses of society's puppets with his beady black eyes, strong bone structure and pale milky skin. He wore an expensive looking gray suit, skin drowned in some type of strong cologne and a watch covered with diamonds. Naruto couldn't help but laugh; the watch had so many diamonds on it that you couldn't even tell the time! What a waste of money.

"I'm so glad you could come. Please, make yourself at home." Itachi nodded, shrugging off the hand on his shoulder. He introduced him to a nervous Iruka, who had been standing awkwardly to the side by himself and then to an uncaring Naruto.

"Iruka, Naruto, this is Kisame. He's my business partner. Kisame, these are the people I have informed you about." The man nodded and suddenly, Naruto thought he reminded him of a fish. A shark actually with the way he grinned, exposing sharp teeth. Now all he needed was blue skin and scales and the look would be complete.

"Nice to finally meet you two. Any guests of Itachi's are welcomed here. Make yourself comfortable and enjoy your stay." Kisame sounded sincere, but you could never really tell. The blond nodded, sparing a small empty smile that didn't reach his eyes. Though faking masks were his specialty, he had neither the energy nor the will to build one at the moment. There was no need to really. Most likely than not, he would never get to see more than half the people in the room after tonight. That he was sure of.

With a grin, Kisame was gone, his body becoming lost in a sea of black and grey fabrics.

Naruto sighed, slowly making his way over to a table filled with champagne and wine glasses. He never drank before, but he hoped, with a couple of sips, all the nervousness in his system would be drowned by the alcohol. But before his hand could meet the glass of a tempting red drink, it was slapped away by familiar tan ones.

The glare of his father made him want to shrink back into his skin.

"Naruto," his name came out in a hiss, anger dripping off every letter. The blond gulped, knowing he hadn't thought the situation through. And now, he was going to pay the price.

"Don't you even dare think about touching that glass or any type of glass that doesn't contain water. Do you understand?" he nodded his head quickly, not wishing to ignite Iruka's wrath even further.

"Now," his father released his hand, his angry expression making him look more lethal than he actually was. "I came here to tell you that Itachi wishes to speak to you. Go. Now." Naruto didn't have to be told twice. His feet carried him across the room as quickly as possible, to a waiting Uchiha. When he arrived there, the man had gotten distracted by a young woman with red hair and a deep V-neck dress. For some odd reason, the blond felt a deep seething anger begin to bubble up in his chest at the sight, his lips forming a nasty sneer that he knew would make his look very unattractive.

Instead of intruding like he wanted, he went in a different direction, murder evident in his eyes. Those that saw him walked out of his path, knowing better than to anger anyone present at the party. This was the celebration of the year, second to only the Uchiha's annual one. Anyone who was anyone was here and no one wanted to close a door on a potential opportunity for either themselves or their company.

He watched from afar as the women, dressed in high end fabric and sky high heels, worked her "magic."

"Skank," he muttered, arms crossed over his chest. How he wished he was drunk at that moment, letting his problems fall to the bottom of a bottle of whiskey. Sadly for him, he was underage.

"She's a beauty isn't she?" A deep voice commented, a champagne glass meeting thin lips. Naruto's gaze did not shift from their original target. He knew who it was without looking.

"Kisame," he greeted, more out of politeness than of anything else. Kisame was Itachi's associate and he did not want to damage their relationship in any way with his rudeness.

The fish man, as Naruto had dubbed him, turned to him, cold beady eyes leering at him from a small distance.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you to Itachi? A high end whore hired to be his escort? I mean, I never really seen Itachi with a woman at any of our gatherings, and I have been his business partner for years now. So tell me, how much did he pay you?" Naruto felt his brow twitch, a sign that only Iruka would understand.

"I'll double it if you sleep with me." The twitch got worse.

"I'll triple it if you tell me all that you know about him," and that was that. Eyes as cold as ice turned to an unsuspecting Kisame, who flinched at the pure look of disgust directed at him and him alone.

"I don't think Itachi would appreciate you meddling where you don't belong. And if you'll excuse me, I have better things to waste my time on."Uzumaki walked away, back turned to a resentful man and walking toward Itachi with enough anger to fuel a massacre.

* * *

_There's a quiet storm_  
_And it never felt this hot before_  
_Giving me something that's taboo_  
_(Sometimes I think you're just too good for me)_

Sweetest Taboo - **Sade**

* * *

**Itachi:**

Hands clutched glass as the words around him went through one ear and out the other. It was as if he was listening to an unfamiliar language, the letters jumbling up before they ever reached him. And as he watched the woman before him with disinterest, he allowed himself to think of a tan figure with a lethal attitude. The body, quivering and soaked in sweat, was bent over, with legs spread wide and ass up high. The brunette licked his lips before taking another sip of his drink, wishing his mouth was on something else entirely.

He breathed in deeply, taking the scent of the white bubbly substance, hoping it would distract from his desire to drag Naruto into the nearest room to be ravaged. The sound of muffled babbling brought him back to the reality of being stuck in a room filled with people that were of no interest to him and a troublesome women who wouldn't let him be. For a moment, the brunette wondered where the devil in a suit went. He had called Iruka a while back to fetch him and lost sight of the two interacting as soon as Karin made her way over. He never understood why Sasuke's friends always tried to hit on him. It seemed like they all wanted a piece of an Uchiha, not caring from who they got it from as long as one of them said yes.

He took another sip, nodding his head to whatever nonsense the girl was babbling on about. She was of no worth to him, having nothing to offer him other than a willing body to satisfy his carnal needs. But Itachi didn't want a woman at the moment. He wanted the hot body of a blond knuckle headed boy who made his blood run hot with desire. He didn't understand where the desire to fuck him came from, but he wasn't complaining. He was sure Naruto would be the perfect addition to his bare bed. It had been empty for years now and he was willing to let Naruto remedy that problem. Now it was all about convincing the blond that he wanted to give up his virginity to the older man.

With a defeated sigh, he turned his attention back to the still babbling female. He wondered if the floor could swallow her up so that he would no longer be a victim to her childish topics. The only one he could tolerate talking about nonsense was Naruto and he was nowhere to be seen. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Karin switched topics, jumping from something trivial to something a little more sensual, a topic Itachi was in no mood to discuss.

"So Mr. Uchiha, when was the last time someone has helped warm your bed?"

_Bold as ever Karin, _he thought, an eyebrow being raised at her blunt comment. But the woman didn't seem fazed, even if a blush was now dusting her cheeks.

"My bed is perfectly warmed young one. Thank you for asking." A smile did not accompany the remark and that caused the red head to hesitate.

_Good, now go away._

"By who? I mean, mind my bluntness, but I have not seen you with a woman at all or anyone for that matter. But if you are in need of one, then I am more than willing to help you out."

She flashed him what he supposed was an attempt at a seductive smile. It was a far cry from what it was suppose to be, but he didn't comment. Instead, he finished his glass and grabbed another. The more he drank, the less he had to talk.

"Itachi, answer me," her voice was so whiny. He would have to have a talk with his brother about his choice of friends.

"Who was the last person you fucked?"

"Me," another voice said.

Itachi's eyes met blue ones and for a moment, he forgot about Karin. In one look, all his desires of the last month came back to him and made him wish that statement was true. But he hadn't and wasn't fucking Uzumaki, Naruto. But he would be soon.

"You?" Karin snorted. She turned to Itachi, pressing herself against him so that he could feel all that she had to offer.

"Itachi, if you ever need a real taste of heaven, I'm always willing to be a candidate."

The head of Uchiha Corporations shook his head. "No thank you. I get a taste of it every night in my bedroom. But that is more information than you need to know. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some important matters to discuss with my _date_."

Karin huffed, stomping her foot before running off to bug someone else. Most likely to complain to his brother. He had a lot of explaining to do when he got home. He could already feel a headache coming on.

The older Uchiha cradled the drink in his hand, taking generous gulps as he stared down at Naruto. The boy looked angry, his eyes cold and shoulders tensed. He found the outraged expression on his face amusing, like most things he did, but chose to not show it. Uchiha's were known to be tactful, and situations like these were no different. He knew how volatile Naruto could be, having witnessed one of his tantrums one night.

"Itachi, we have to talk." He nodded, licking his lips and smirking at the visible shiver that ran down the Uzumaki's back.

"I know."

"It's about Kisame." Itachi froze, eyes turning cold immediately.

"What about him?"

"We are going to need some privacy, but I assure you, you won't be happy with what I'm about to tell you."

* * *

All chapters have been revised and edited. I advise you to start from the beginning and see the changes for yourself. Trust me, the quality of writing has improved.


End file.
